Crevecoeurs are really neat birds. They are smart, lay (huge) white eggs and are very friendly. Most of my hens are extremely "talkative" too and the roosters eat out of my hands. Very nice birds. They are in dire need of more people dedicated to working with them.

Pros: Beautiful, intelligent, sociable, good forager, VERY fast (good if you have feral cats hanging around), SO SOFT, hardy in dry climate

Cons: Can be a tad flighty

Ok so I only have one so obviously my info is limited and some of the things about her could just be her individual personality rather than traits of the breed. I didn't even intend to get this breed in the first place, we went to a feed store that was selling barred rock and delaware chicks at the time and my sisters and I each got to pick a chick. My youngest sister chose a teensy little Delaware, (who is a huge bird now, I've reviewed that breed as well if you're interested) our middle sister chose a big healthy looking BR, and I chose the most pathetic and tiny little black chick with a deformed claw because I have a soft spot for sad little chickens, we thought she was a BR but a soon as real feathers started coming in we knew she was something completely different. It took quite a while and a lot of internet research to figure it out. The feed store says they NEVER get shipments of crevs to sell because of their rarity. I did find out that the hatchery they buy from keeps a flock on hand to sell to people who want to breed and show them, and because of her deformed claw Edith should have been culled at hatching because she isn't show quality. My theory is that whoever was weeding out the undesirables at hatching took pity on her and threw her in the BR bin (or whatever they keep them in there) rather than culling her. But of course we'll never know, all I know is that I won the chicken lottery. Now for the review:

Appearance:All feathers are jet black and iridescent in the sun shining purple and green. Feathers are also VERY SOFT compared to other chicken feathers and it makes you just want to pet her all day. Long necked with an adorable pouf on the head that usually covers the eyes and a fluffy little beard. Eyes are big and gold/brown while the beak is somewhat short giving her an almost cartoonish appearance. Body is somewhat sleek when compared to other breeds and the wings are incredibly long in comparison to overall size (she can fly REALLY well for a chicken) and the tail is held up at a rather jaunty angle. Legs are slate gray and skin is white. This breed is both elegant and comical looking at the same time. The pouf is almost too cute to handle. And even though is generally covers her eyes she can still see behind her without turning her head which I find interesting. I've also seen the feathers lift from over her eyes when she wants something from me, then comes an intense stare which is both funny and unsettling. Seriously if you don't want your face to melt off like a Nazi's in Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark don't eat in front of Edith, she'll stare lasers at you the whole time hardly blinking.

Personality: Very friendly and loving (unless you have food you aren't sharing as mentioned above) but keep in mind that I got her at the beginning of a four month summer break from college and I couldn't find a job so I spent A LOT of time hand raising chickens with Edith getting the most attention. I painstakingly socialize every member of the flock teaching manners and basic commands because my mother will only keep chickens if they are friendly pet animals. So if you want to keep chickens as pets my review can be helpful but as for unsocialized utility birds I have no knowledge of their personality. Edith will not steal food from people and takes food hand fed to her very gently. She does not peck or pick at people either and she showed very little tendency to do so in the first place so that did not take much training. Unlike other chickens we own she will not attack young children who are being too rough choosing to run away or fly up out of reach instead. (We don't allow children to pick on our birds but it happens from time to time.) If allowed in the house on a hot day (it can get to 120 here) she will quietly sit on a lap, shoulder, or arm of the couch and watch tv with you or snuggle up under your arm or hair and take a nap. If she is engaged in a show she will sometimes softly talk back to the tv and if you change it she'll give you her trademark face-melting stare until you change it back. She seems to enjoy those true crime shows the most, go figure. She also loves to sit on your shoulder and watch you type on a lap top, it just fascinates her. She loves hanging out with my mom because she does a lot of typing up essays for her online classes and Edith will sit for hours and just watch. Because we love her so much she gets to come in almost every night and just hang out for a while, she's seemingly figured out that if she's sleeping we won't wake her up to put her back outside. I have no way to prove this next story but I swear it happened so believe me or not, that's up to you. One night we were all watching tv and my mom was also working on an essay with Edith on her shoulder as usual. Well Edith REALLY did not want to go outside because not only was mom typing an essay the thing we were watching was a crime show, so basically her personal heaven. But mom was about ready to turn in so she asked me to take Edith outside and just as my mother was turning to look at her and tell her good night like she usually does Edith (who was very much awake) closed her eyes and tucked her head and PRETENDED to be asleep. Mom didn't catch her doing it so she said "Oh. Well I guess she can stay in a little longer since she's so cute when she sleeps." and I told her what the sneaky bird had done and she, of course, didn't believe me saying that chickens weren't that smart. Well when mom's head was turned to the screen again Edith opened her eyes and continued watching, only this time my dad saw her and told my mom to look quick which she did and caught Edith in the act of doing the same thing a second time! My mother stared at her for a full minute and the bird just kept faking it, then she turned away again and Edith opened her eyes just like before. We did it again and this time I looked closer and saw that one eye was opened just the tiniest bit so she could see when mom wasn't looking again. We did this over and over just to make sure she was really doing what we thought and by the time we stopped we were laughing so hard the "sleeping" Edith nearly rolled off of mom's shoulder. I have never seen or heard of a chicken doing something like that and I still laugh when I think about it.

Free range suitability: We keep six hens un-cooped in a suburban back yard. She forages bugs and seeds quite well and is too fast for our one nuisance feral cat to catch. She is also the first to notice a marauding bird of prey and takes cover immediately. Overall hardy except in damp conditions which give her minor respiratory issues. She of course dust bathes like every other chicken but does not dig annoyingly deep holes like the others do so that's a plus if you don't enjoy tripping.

Overall: I'd say if you're looking for a bird that will make a good pet and who you don't have to worry about too much I'd recommend the Crevecoeur. If you can find a place that sells them in your area I highly encourage that you get one or two because the breed is becoming rarer and rarer from what I've heard and it would be a real shame if this old French breed died out. Even if you don't breed them yourself simply by adding to the demand for them you are encouraging those who do to produce more which will help keep the breed around. I myself hope to be able to raise a small flock in the future for a hobby or as a side business. Give these birds a try if you can, they're worth it.

Pros: Very smart, alert, have the joie de vivre! Excellent foragers, adorable temperaments.

Cons: Needs to be socialized heavily, needs lots of handling, will fly and roost in trees if given the chance

I flat-out LOVE my Crevecoeur. They're not the breed for everyone, as they are a lot like feathered goats. VERY SMART. (Smarts that can get them in to trouble if you don't watch what they're getting in to.) Very different temperament from some of the other crested breeds (especially Polish.)

Mine love to scratch, and I think they get that from their dad who is a feathered black rototiller. They will begin destroying your brooder and any place they can dig in at 1 day old. That said, they are EXCELLENT foragers and bug eaters and very intelligent and aware of their surroundings (especially if you keep a rooster with them.) The girls tend to be a little mellower than the boys, and the boys are just addictively charming. I fell in love with the breed thanks to the personality of my foundation rooster "Jim." He is feisty but sweet in all the right ways.

They can be high strung so they need a lot of handling and socialization. I had one batch that I missed being around for the first week and they took a long time to calm down. I find that if you can be with them a ton through their first week (talking to them, holding them, putting your hand in the brooder) they will reward you with lovely and trusting temperaments, even if they do have a mind of their own. It also helps to raise them with a calmer breed (I raise mine with LF Cochins and Langshans) because the mellower birds tend to even the Crevecoeur out.

Crevecoeur also LOVE to fly. They will want to perch on anything and will start trying to fly out of the brooder at an early age. I keep mine enclosed for this reason, but I give them fun perching options. They like brain games.

My boys are the definition of "cocky." Very jaunty and handsome and excellent lookouts. Also very good to their hens and they love to find food for the flock. Some can be jerks, but the more you handle them the better they will be. I have one little cockerel who is the "alpha" of his flock and when he gets to be a bit too rough all I have to do is tell him to behave and he actually does! (It's creepy, but I swear these guys know what I'm saying when I tell them to do something...I have not found that with any of the other breeds I've raised.)

The hens are very alert as well and very sweet. My girls all look at me like I'm the "rooster" so when I come home to say "hi" they all come and mob me. One of my girls is my little shadow and follows me everywhere. They also still keep their wits about them even if they have a larger topknot (which is way better than a Polish-you won't lose as many to predation.) Not excellent layers, though, and no broody instinct at all. You'll need a good incubator or another broody hen if you want to breed them. Their eggs are fairly petite and white.

These little guys are seriously AWESOME! Not as easy as some of the starter breeds (I think that's partly why they're endangered,) but so worth it! If you have a chance to try one, I highly recommend it!

I love my crevecoeur's they are fun to watch. There not to bad of layers they lay medium size white eggs, they lay every other day 5 to 6 out of 7 eggs a week. Crevecoeurs don't really stand there ground to other birds they are very flighty and curious.

Cons: Hard to get up to SOP (what bird isn't?) Really needs more dedicated breeders.

My boy is super sweet and huggable, my girl is a bit afraid of me, but if I pick her up when she isn't expecting it, she calms down nicely and lets me pet her. She is not up to the standard in size, and is smaller than my leghorns. However, she seems to be going through a growing spurt at 19 weeks. These older breeds may continue to grow for quite a while. I was told 6 months, then they start filling out more. We shall see after they're a year old how large they get. I'm getting more eggs in the spring because I really love these birds and hope they'll lay well enough (at least 3 eggs a week) Then I'll be happy.

Of course I have no experience with the breed, but gave it 5 stars because I really want to try these guys out next year! I love their mean little faces & it's a bonus that I used to live in Creve Couer & miss it!

The Crevecoeur is a old French breed. They were originally bred as a dual purpose egg and table bird. The birds of today are noticeably smaller than when the Crevecoeur breed was first formally described around 1850. This is due to breeders over the years focussing more on fancy points and neglecting meat qualities. The are similar in type to the Houdan and Golden Polish but they lack the fifth toe of the Houdan and are heavier in type than the Polish. Good summer layers of white eggs.

These are very interesting birds and although not reputed as amazing layers, in my own experience, the hen lays a large white egg almost daily. They are very calm and friendly birds that bear confinement well. They are not good forgers and should have protection against wind & cold/wet conditions. They also do not handle excessive heat well.